Exit vs. Close: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Updated on October 5, 2023
Exit refers to the act of leaving a place or situation, or a way out of a place. Close means to shut something, like a door or window, or to come to an end, like a business or event.
Key Differences
Exit is a term that primarily refers to the act of leaving a specific location or situation. It can be used both as a noun and as a verb. In its noun form, it usually indicates a doorway or gateway leading out of a place, such as an exit ramp on a highway. In verb form, it describes the action of departing, like "he exited the room."
Close, on the other hand, refers to the action of shutting or sealing off an opening, such as a door, window, or even a business. It also has implications of finality, as in a project or deal coming to an end. As with "exit," the word "close" can also function as both a noun and a verb, but its usage varies more broadly.
While both exit and close can signify the end of something, they are generally not interchangeable. For instance, one would exit a building but close a door. The key difference often lies in the focus on movement out of a space with "exit," versus the action of sealing or ending with "close."
In terms of grammar, both "exit" and "close" can be used as nouns and verbs. However, "close" has additional forms such as "closer" and "closest" as comparative and superlative adjectives, while "exit" does not have commonly used adjective forms.
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Leaving a place or situation
Shutting or sealing off an opening
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Grammatical Role
Noun, Verb
Noun, Verb, Adjective
Context
Spatial, situational
Spatial, temporal, situational
Part of Speech
No adjectival form
Has adjectival forms
Associated Actions
Depart, vacate
Seal, end
Exit and Close Definitions
Exit
Departure Point
Please proceed to the nearest exit.
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Close
End Point
The meeting came to a close.
Exit
Highway Feature
Take exit 23 for downtown.
Close
Being near in space or time. See Usage Note at redundancy.
Exit
Computer Command
Click exit to close the program.
Close
Being near in relationship
Close relatives.
Exit
Business Term
The entrepreneur planned his exit strategy.
Close
Bound by mutual interests, loyalties, or affections; intimate
Close friends.
Exit
The act of going away or out.
Close
Having little or no space between elements or parts; tight and compact
A close weave.
Exit
A passage or way out
An emergency exit in a theater.
Took the second exit on the throughway.
Close
Being near the surface; short
A close haircut.
Exit
The departure of a performer from the stage.
Close
Being on the brink of
Close to tears.
Exit
Death.
Close
Decided by a narrow margin; almost even
A close election.
Exit
To make one's exit; depart.
Close
Faithful to the original
A close copy.
Exit
To go out of; leave
Exited the plane through a rear door.
Close
Very attentive; rigorous; thorough
A close reading.
Close supervision.
Exit
(Computers) To terminate the execution of (an application)
Exited the subroutine.
Close
Shut; closed.
Exit
An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
He made his exit at the opportune time.
Close
Shut in; enclosed.
Exit
The action of an actor leaving a scene or the stage.
Close
Confining or narrow; crowded
Close quarters.
Exit
A way out.
Close
Fitting tightly
Close garments.
Exit
An opening or passage through which one can go from inside a place (such as a building, a room, or a vehicle) to the outside; an egress.
Emergency exit
Fire exit
He was looking for the exit and got lost.
She stood at the exit of the house looking back and waving at those inside.
Close
Warm and humid or stuffy
Close weather.
A close room.
Exit
(road transport) A minor road (such as a ramp or slip road) which is used to leave a major road (such as an expressway, highway, or motorway).
Close
Confined to specific persons or groups
A close secret.
Exit
The act of departing from life; death.
The untimely exit of a respected politician
Close
Strictly confined or guarded
Kept under close custody.
Exit
(intransitive) To go out or go away from a place or situation; to depart, to leave.
Close
Secretive; reticent
Was close about her personal life.
Exit
(theatre) To leave a scene or depart from a stage.
Desdemona exits stage left.
Close
Giving or spending with reluctance; stingy
He is known to be close with his money.
Exit
To depart from life; to die.
Close
Not easily acquired; scarce
Money was close.
Exit
To end or terminate (a program, subroutine, etc.)
Close
(Linguistics) Pronounced with the tongue near the palate, as the ee in meet. Used of vowels.
Exit
To depart from or leave (a place or situation).
Close
Marked by more rather than less punctuation, especially commas.
Exit
To alight or disembark from a vehicle.
Close
To move (a door, for example) so that an opening or passage is covered or obstructed; shut.
Exit
To give up the lead.
Close
To bar access to
Closed the road for repairs.
Exit
Used as a stage direction for an actor: to leave the scene or stage.
Close
To fill or stop up
Closed the cracks with plaster.
Exit
He (or she ) goes out, or retires from view; as, exit Macbeth.
Close
To stop the operations of permanently or temporarily
Closed down the factory.
Exit
The departure of a player from the stage, when he has performed his part.
They have their exits and their entrances.
Close
To make unavailable for use
Closed the area to development.
Closed the database to further changes.
Exit
Any departure; the act of quitting the stage of action or of life; death; as, to make one's exit.
Sighs for his exit, vulgarly called death.
Close
To bring to an end; terminate
Close a letter.
Close a bank account.
Exit
A way of departure; passage out of a place; egress; way out.
Forcing the water forth through its ordinary exits.
Close
To bring together all the elements or parts of
Management closed ranks and ostracized the troublemaker.
Exit
An opening that permits escape or release;
He blocked the way out
The canyon had only one issue
Close
To join or unite; bring into contact
Close a circuit.
Exit
Euphemistic expressions for death;
Thousands mourned his passing
Close
To draw or bind together the edges of
Close a wound.
Exit
The act of going out
Close
(Sports) To modify (one's stance), as in baseball or golf, by turning the body so that the forward shoulder and foot are closer to the intended point of impact with the ball.
Exit
Move out of or depart from;
Leave the room
The fugitive has left the country
Close
To complete the final details or negotiations on
Close a deal.
Exit
Lose the lead
Close
(Archaic) To enclose on all sides.
Exit
Pass from physical life and lose all all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life;
She died from cancer
They children perished in the fire
The patient went peacefully
Close
To become shut
The door closed quietly.
Exit
Stage Direction
The actor made a grand exit.
Close
To come to an end; finish
The book closes on a hopeful note.
Close
To reach an agreement; come to terms
We close on the house next week.
Close
To cease operation
The shop closes at six.
Close
To be priced or listed at a specified amount when trading ends
Stocks closed higher on Monday.
Close
To engage at close quarters
Closed with the enemy.
Close
To draw near
The orbiter closed with the space station in preparation for docking.
Close
To come together
My arms closed around the little child.
Close
(Baseball) To finish a game by protecting a lead. Used of relief pitchers.
Close
The act of closing.
Close
A conclusion; a finish
The meeting came to a close.
Close
(Music) The concluding part of a phrase or theme; a cadence.
Close
(klōs) An enclosed place, especially land surrounding or beside a cathedral or other building.
Close
(klōs) Chiefly British A narrow way or alley.
Close
(Archaic) A fight at close quarters.
Close
In a close position or manner; closely
Stayed close together.
Close
(physical) To remove a gap.
Close
To obstruct (an opening).
Close
To move so that an opening is closed.
Close the door behind you when you leave.
Jim was listening to headphones with his eyes closed.
Close
To make (e.g. a gap) smaller.
The runner in second place is closing the gap on the leader.
To close the ranks of an army
Close
To move to a position preventing fluid from flowing.
Close
To move to a position allowing electricity to flow.
Close
To grapple; to engage in close combat.
Close
To finish, to terminate.
Close
To put an end to; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to consummate.
Close the session;
To close a bargain;
To close a course of instruction
Close
To come to an end.
The debate closed at six o'clock.
Close
(marketing) To make a sale.
Close
To make the final outs, usually three, of a game.
He has closed the last two games for his team.
Close
To terminate an application, window, file or database connection, etc.
Close
To cancel or reverse (a trading position).
Close
To come or gather around; to enclose; to encompass; to confine.
Close
(surveying) To have a vector sum of 0; that is, to form a closed polygon.
Close
(intransitive) To do the tasks (putting things away, locking doors, etc.) required to prepare a store or other establishment to shut down for the night.
Whoever closed last night forgot to turn off the closet light.
Close
(Philippines) To turn off; to switch off.
Close
An end or conclusion.
We owe them our thanks for bringing the project to a successful close.
Close
The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
Close
(sales) The point at the end of a sales pitch when the consumer is asked to buy.
Close
A grapple in wrestling.
Close
(music) The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
Close
(music) A double bar marking the end.
Close
The time when checkin staff will no longer accept passengers for a flight.
Close
An enclosed field.
Close
(chiefly British) A street that ends in a dead end.
Close
(Scotland) A very narrow alley between two buildings, often overhung by one of the buildings above the ground floor.
Close
(Scotland) The common staircase in a tenement.
Close
A cathedral close.
Close
(legal) The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not enclosed
Close
Closed, shut.
Close
Narrow; confined.
A close alley; close quarters
Close
At a little distance; near.
Is your house close?
Close
Intimate; well-loved.
He is a close friend.
Close
(legal) Of a corporation or other business entity, closely held.
Close
Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude.
Close
Hot, humid, with no wind.
Close
Articulated with the tongue body relatively close to the hard palate.
Close
Strictly confined; carefully guarded.
A close prisoner
Close
(obsolete) Out of the way of observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
Close
Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced.
A close contest
Close
Short.
To cut grass or hair close
Close
(archaic) Dense; solid; compact.
Close
(archaic) Concise; to the point.
Close reasoning
Close
(dated) Difficult to obtain.
Money is close.
Close
(dated) Parsimonious; stingy.
Close
Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact.
A close translation; a close copy
Close
Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict.
The patient was kept under close observation.
Close
Marked, evident.en
Close
Almost, but not quite (getting to an answer or goal); near
No, but you were close.
We were so close to winning!
Close
To stop, or fill up, as an opening; to shut; as, to close the eyes; to close a door.
Close
To bring together the parts of; to consolidate; as, to close the ranks of an army; - often used with up.
Close
To bring to an end or period; to conclude; to complete; to finish; to end; to consummate; as, to close a bargain; to close a course of instruction.
One frugal supper did our studies close.
Close
To come or gather around; to inclose; to encompass; to confine.
The depth closed me round about.
But now thou dost thyself immure and closeIn some one corner of a feeble heart.
Close
To come together; to unite or coalesce, as the parts of a wound, or parts separated.
What deep wounds ever closed without a scar?
Close
To end, terminate, or come to a period; as, the debate closed at six o'clock.
Close
To grapple; to engage in hand-to-hand fight.
They boldly closed in a hand-to-hand contest.
Close
The manner of shutting; the union of parts; junction.
The doors of plank were; their close exquisite.
Close
Conclusion; cessation; ending; end.
His long and troubled life was drawing to a close.
Close
A grapple in wrestling.
Close
The conclusion of a strain of music; cadence.
At every close she made, the attending throngReplied, and bore the burden of the song.
Close
An inclosed place; especially, a small field or piece of land surrounded by a wall, hedge, or fence of any kind; - specifically, the precinct of a cathedral or abbey.
Closes surrounded by the venerable abodes of deans and canons.
Close
A narrow passage leading from a street to a court, and the houses within.
Close
The interest which one may have in a piece of ground, even though it is not inclosed.
Close
Shut fast; closed; tight; as, a close box.
From a close bower this dainty music flowed.
Close
Narrow; confined; as, a close alley; close quarters.
Close
Oppressive; without motion or ventilation; causing a feeling of lassitude; - said of the air, weather, etc.
If the rooms be low-roofed, or full of windows and doors, the one maketh the air close, . . . and the other maketh it exceeding unequal.
Close
Strictly confined; carefully quarded; as, a close prisoner.
Close
Out of the way observation; secluded; secret; hidden.
"Her close intent."
Close
Disposed to keep secrets; secretive; reticent.
Close
Having the parts near each other; dense; solid; compact; as applied to bodies; viscous; tenacious; not volatile, as applied to liquids.
The golden globe being put into a press, . . . the water made itself way through the pores of that very close metal.
Close
Concise; to the point; as, close reasoning.
Close
Adjoining; near; either in space; time, or thought; - often followed by to.
Plant the spring crocuses close to a wall.
The thought of the Man of sorrows seemed a very close thing - not a faint hearsay.
Close
Short; as, to cut grass or hair close.
Close
Intimate; familiar; confidential.
League with you I seekAnd mutual amity, so strait, so close,That I with you must dwell, or you with me.
Close
Nearly equal; almost evenly balanced; as, a close vote.
Close
Difficult to obtain; as, money is close.
Close
Parsimonious; stingy.
Close
Adhering strictly to a standard or original; exact; strict; as, a close translation.
Close
Accurate; careful; precise; also, attentive; undeviating; strict; not wandering; as, a close observer.
Close
Uttered with a relatively contracted opening of the mouth, as certain sounds of e and o in French, Italian, and German; - opposed to open.
Close
In a close manner.
Close
Secretly; darkly.
A wondrous vision which did close implyThe course of all her fortune and posterity.
Close
The temporal end; the concluding time;
The stopping point of each round was signaled by a bell
The market was up at the finish
They were playing better at the close of the season
Close
The last section of a communication;
In conclusion I want to say...
Close
The concluding part of any performance
Close
Cease to operate or cause to cease operating;
The owners decided to move and to close the factory
My business closes every night at 8 P.M.
Close
Complete a business deal, negotiation, or an agreement;
We closed on the house on Friday
They closed the deal on the building
Close
Move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut;
Close the door
Shut the window
Close
Bar access to;
Due to the accident, the road had to be closed for several hours
Close
Finish or terminate (meetings, speeches, etc.);
The meeting was closed with a charge by the chairman of the board
Close
Draw near;
The probe closed with the space station
Close
Come to a close;
The concert closed with a nocturne by Chopin
Close
Become closed;
The windows closed with a loud bang
Close
Come together, as if in an embrace;
Her arms closed around her long lost relative
Close
Unite or bring into contact or bring together the edges of;
Close the circuit
Close a wound
Close
Bring together all the elements or parts of;
Management closed ranks
Close
Engage at close quarters;
Close with the enemy
Close
Be priced or listed when trading stops;
The stock market closed high this Friday
My new stocks closed at $59 last night
Close
Cause a window or an application to disappear on a computer desktop
Close
Change one's body stance so that the forward shoulder and foot are closer to the intended point of impact
Close
Fill or stop up;
Can you close the cracks with caulking?
Close
Finish a game in baseball by protecting a lead;
The relief pitcher closed with two runs in the second inning
Close
At or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other;
Close to noon
How close are we to town?
A close formation of ships
Close
Close in relevance or relationship;
A close family
We are all...in close sympathy with...
Close kin
A close resemblance
Close
Not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances;
Near neighbors
In the near future
They are near equals
His nearest approach to success
A very near thing
A near hit by the bomb
She was near tears
She was close to tears
Had a close call
Close
Rigorously attentive; strict and thorough;
Close supervision
Paid close attention
A close study
Kept a close watch on expenditures
Close
Marked by fidelity to an original;
A close translation
A faithful copy of the portrait
A faithful rendering of the observed facts
Close
(of a contest or contestants) evenly matched;
A close contest
A close election
A tight game
Close
Crowded;
Close quarters
Close
Lacking fresh air;
A dusty airless attic
The dreadfully close atmosphere
Hot and stuffy and the air was blue with smoke
Close
Of textiles;
A close weave
Smooth percale with a very tight weave
Close
Strictly confined or guarded;
Kept under close custody
Close
Confined to specific persons;
A close secret
Close
Fitting closely but comfortably;
A close fit
Close
Used of hair or haircuts;
A close military haircut
Close
Giving or spending with reluctance;
Our cheeseparing administration
Very close (or near) with his money
A penny-pinching miserly old man
Close
Inclined to secrecy or reticence about divulging information;
Although they knew her whereabouts her friends kept close about it
Close
Near in time or place or relationship;
As the wedding day drew near
Stood near the door
Don't shoot until they come near
Getting near to the true explanation
Her mother is always near
The end draws nigh
The bullet didn't come close
Don't get too close to the fire
Close
In an attentive manner;
He remained close on his guard
Close
Shutting Action
Please close the door behind you.
Close
Proximity
The store is close to my house.
Close
Business Term
The deal was close to completion.
Close
Intimate
They have a close relationship.
FAQs
Is "exit" used in the theater?
Yes, "exit" is often used as a stage direction in scripts.
Is an "exit" always a physical door?
No, "exit" can also refer to ways out of situations, not just physical spaces.
Can "close" be an adjective?
Yes, "close" can be an adjective meaning near or intimate.
Is "close" only used to mean shutting something?
No, "close" can also mean near in space or time, or coming to an end.
Can "exit" be used in the context of business?
Yes, terms like "exit strategy" refer to plans for leaving a business venture.
Does "exit" always imply a permanent leave?
No, "exit" can refer to both temporary and permanent departures.
Can "close" refer to narrow gaps?
Yes, "close" can refer to small distances or gaps.
Can "exit" be used as a verb?
Yes, "exit" can be used as a verb meaning to leave a place.
Is "exit" used in driving?
Yes, "exit" often refers to off-ramps or ways out on a highway.
Can "exit" and "close" be used interchangeably?
Generally, no. They refer to different actions and are not usually interchangeable.
Can "close" refer to the end of an event?
Yes, "close" can refer to the end or conclusion of an event or period.
Can "close" be a noun?
Yes, "close" can be a noun meaning the end or conclusion.
Is "exit" used in computing?
Yes, "exit" is often used as a command to leave a program.
Can "close" refer to relationships?
Yes, "close" can describe intimate or tight-knit relationships.
Is "close" used in sports?
Yes, "close" can refer to narrowly missing, as in "a close call."
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
